Kaercher vacuum

[Gary Markham]

Does anyone have any experience with this kaercher nt 30 vac https://www.kaercher.com/us/professi...-11482160.html A few reviews and YouTube comments say it’s competitive to a festoon mini? I can’t find any real info.
thanks
Gary

[Brian Runau]

Did you look to see who is reping these in your area?

[Stephen Bandirola]

I bought one about a month ago, its a really great vacuum.
As far as I know its only available online in the US for some reason. In other parts of the world, (Europe, and Australia) it seem much more common. I don't own a Festool but I looked at checked one out at Festool demo/sales day and it is easily directly comparable.

Buy it!

Stephen

[Lee Schierer]

One important specification that is very important is the noise level of the machine when it is running. Some shop vacs scream so loud you must wear ear protection. I have a Fein Turbo II and it is very quiet. Here are the specifications for a Fein Turbo II:
fein.jpg

[Michael Donnermeyer]

I bought a Kärcher NT35/1 Tact TE from Home Depot's rental department about two years ago and I have been very happy with it. It looked like it might have been used a handful of times at most, but it was missing the hose and attachments. They only wanted $100, so I figured it was worth the chance. I ended up grabbing a 20' CenTec hose for $30 from Amazon's Warehouse.

While it may not be the strongest vacuum in the world (155CFM), it is more than adequate and sufficient for my needs. I use it primarily with my sanders, although recently I've also been using it more as a general shop vac. Easier to move around (handle) and more stable than the old Craftsman 4HP/9gal one. The filter cleaning feature is 100% worth it when dealing with fine dust (drywall, 200g+ wood, etc.) and the auto-on feature is definitely nice to have. It's also definitely quieter than a normal shop vac. Kärcher claims 69dB, but mine measures closer to 78dB to 80dB from 2' away (via iPhone app).

[Lee Schierer]

Kärcher claims 69dB, but mine measures closer to 78dB to 80dB from 2' away (via iPhone app).

AHHH at last someone that actual knows how to measure machine sound levels so the data is relevant. Any dB level without a distance measurement is worthless. A jet engine at 10,000 yards produces no more noise than a quiet office.

[Curt Harms]

I bought one about a month ago, its a really great vacuum.
As far as I know its only available online in the US for some reason. In other parts of the world, (Europe, and Australia) it seem much more common. I don't own a Festool but I looked at checked one out at Festool demo/sales day and it is easily directly comparable.

Buy it!

Stephen

It is curious why Karcher vacs are not more widely available. Karcher pressure washers seem reasonably available. Re performance there's one measure that doesn't seem to be widely available. It consists of getting a ridgid length of clear tubing about 8' long, sticking one end into a bucket of water and attach the vac's hose to the other end. Turn the vac on and see how high the water will be sucked. You're measuring inches of vacuum, not volume (CFM). I think Fein was claiming around 90 inches but that seems high to me.

[Stephen Bandirola]

I looked at the Fein also, the Karcher is better its more comparable to the Festool ct36 ac.

[Derek Cohen]

Karcher are well known in Australia for their pressure washers. They have a large range, and the reputation for bad-good is as wide as the prices. You get what you pay for.

I measured my Festool CT26 E. At 1m it produced 75dB with the 27mm hose connected. That still borders on uncomfortably loud for me.

For reference, I measured a bunch of other machines in my workshop:

Nova Voyager drill press (above): 44dB at 500 rpm; 48dB at 1000 rpm; 63dB at 2000 rpm.


The Nova Saturn lathe (below): 50dB at 500 rpm; 56dB at 1250 rpm; 63dB at 2500 rpm; 66dB at 5000 rpm.

Hammer A3-31 Jointer-Thicknesser (silent head): 76dB …...This is tolerable for conversation

Hammer N4400 Bandsaw: 78dB …...This is borderline – frankly, just too loud.

Hammer K3 Tablesaw (12" blade combo blade by Stark): 93dB …... crazy loud!

More here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Powered...yWorkshop.html

Regards from Perth

Derek